if you clear away everything and look at the tax rates the president says tax rates have to go up on the wealthy by some amount. republicans are saying no we won't have any vote to raise tax rates and that's an impasse -- we don't see how we get around that. >> the president is embolden by his alexandria victory. he's taking it out to folks out on the street. he's acting like he feels he has a mandate to ask for these tax increase. do you think that's going to work? >> he thinks he has a mandate and if we go over the cliff the republicans will be blamed. he thinks the pressure of that will get the republicans to buckle. the tax rates will go up the easy way or the hard way. will it work? we have to guess at the public opinion. right now public opinion is on the president's side but that's in the abstract. if we see economic effects that affect real people we don't know how that ball bounces. >> i wonder if going over the cliff gives some political cover for politicians to compromise down the road? >> it gives cover and pressure. cover is a give. with republicans all of a sudden taxes